The Verzyl Legacy

Thanks Dena for the memoriam, and to all the great people at CGC.

When John Verzyl passed away on March 10, 2018 he was at his zenith; he had become one of the largest, most successful comic book dealers in the world, touting a tremendous inventory of rare and valuable comics. John had not only cultivated a huge number of loyal collectors over the decades, but essentially created his own market, thanks to a rare combination of his vast knowledge of comic books, a savvy business sense, and an affable personality that made it impossible not to like him.

But this was only part of the picture. What made John truly legendary in the industry was his personal comic collection. A fierce collector since childhood, John recognized the importance of the famous Edgar Church collection when it was discovered in 1977, and set about buying as much as he could, with his main focus falling on the company he loved the most--Timely. By the late '80s John had managed to piece together most of Edgar Church copies of every Timely comic book published, as well as scores of other copies from that and other incredible pedigree collections.

Over subsequent decades, John gained a reputation as one of the greatest collectors the hobby had ever seen. In retrospect, his prescient vision during the early days of collecting is awe-inspiring; as the market changed and matured into the new millennium, it became clear that John had a foresight that few others ever came close to matching. Because of this, he not only amassed one of the greatest collections ever assembled, but dominated the market in a subtle way that made it seem effortless.

His vast and unique collection is an incredible achievement. His knowledge, imagination and perseverance has inspired countless others. He was, in the end, the ultimate collector. For this reason, and to honor our dear friend John, CGC has renamed its special annual Registry award for outstanding achievement the John Verzyl Sr. Registry Masterpiece Award."

Growing up, I was surrounded by comics. Whenever I wanted, I could scout through our expansive back stock of raw books, reading titles some could only dream of. Needless to say, Saturday mornings were very different than regular kids. 

My favorite title has to be Swamp Thing. However, as a lover of anything old and rare, I enjoy characters like the Detective Eye from Centaur Publications, and The Blue Beetle leaping off the pages of Fox's Mystery Men.

I've had the opportunity to go to comic conventions since I was a 1 year old! Traveling the country and meeting new, exciting people, I have more stories than you can count on your fingers and toes. And, just for the record, I have never missed a San Diego Comic Con in my entire life (well, 2020 was online, but I was there in spirit).

I worked closely with my dad to get everything ready for the conventions. That includes pricing, organizing, grading and scanning comics for months at a time to prepare for whatever convention was coming up.

I would also help assist with his yearly contribution to the Overstreet Comic Book Price guide, which was no small task.

I've loved comics all my life, but it was only around 2015 that I began collecting personally. The first comic I ever bought was a Booster Gold #1 and the 80's set of Booster Gold was the first set I ever completed. My first Golden Age book was a Hangman #3. While it is only a VG copy, it looks absolutely stunning. And, of course, my favorite storyline(s) has to be Alan Moore's run of Swamp Thing. 

Another person passion of mine is the theatre. I've performed in a plethora of plays and have won numerous awards with the help of my friends. Hopefully, when things settle down, I'll go to college to take my skills to another level. 

I look forward to continuing the Verzyl legacy of excellence in the hobby of comic book collecting. Happy hunting everyone!

I am so grateful to have a lifelong love of comics and art instilled in me from childhood.

Growing up, dad would read me Silver-Age Thor comics, and had the best voice for Loki. It was silly and captivating at the same time. I really got into the horror, pre-hero Kirby monsters, or really anything with a dinosaur. Who doesn't love Wonder Woman or Batman fighting a Dinosaur? Or what if dinosaurs were in WWII?  like those amazing Star Spangled War Stories.

My first Golden-Age comic was Frankenstein #1 Prize Comics 1945. I remember being around 12 years old and thinking that it was worth the work to earn it. 

We had a comic book store in the 80's and 90's that I grew up in. And my parents would distribute to other stores also, so I was great at filling orders, packing, stacking, bagging, working the counter, and  organizing comics. I loved the art and would sometimes draw my own Adventures of Lum, Robotech, or Roger Rabbit stories. 

We moved to Texas from California in 1996. Since then, the Comic Conventions feel like a family re-union for me, and I really look forward to going to the Conventions every year to see all the dealers and collectors I grew up with, and to see people who love comics. I feel it's such a positive, loving environment, to just be who you are. 

Since my dad was not to be shadowed in the comic world, I wanted to work in healthcare, and earned a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, and a Master's degree in Occupational Therapy. I have been practicing  in hospitals for 12 years. Wow, time flies.